WASHINGTON: The amphibious assault ship USS Wasp entered the eastern Mediterranean Sea this week as the US positions warships to try to keep fighting between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon from escalating into a wider war in West Asia.
While the Wasp has the capability to assist in the evacuation of civilians if full-scale war breaks out between Israel and Hezbollah along the Lebanon border, that’s not the primary reason it was rotated in, a US official said.”It’s about deterrence,” the official said. A second US official said the rotation is similar to how the US sent the USS Bataan assault ship into the waters around Israel shortly after Hamas’ Oct 7 attack on the country, with the vessel remaining for months in the eastern Mediterranean to help provide options and try to contain the conflict. The Wasp also is sailing with the amphibious transport dock ship USS New York, which can deliver troops either by on-deck helicopters or landing vessels.
While the Wasp has the capability to assist in the evacuation of civilians if full-scale war breaks out between Israel and Hezbollah along the Lebanon border, that’s not the primary reason it was rotated in, a US official said.”It’s about deterrence,” the official said. A second US official said the rotation is similar to how the US sent the USS Bataan assault ship into the waters around Israel shortly after Hamas’ Oct 7 attack on the country, with the vessel remaining for months in the eastern Mediterranean to help provide options and try to contain the conflict. The Wasp also is sailing with the amphibious transport dock ship USS New York, which can deliver troops either by on-deck helicopters or landing vessels.
